[Neurons] 2013 Meta Reflections #25

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections 2012  #25

May 27, 2013

 

 

MODELING PRESENCE OF MIND

UNDER PRESSURE

 

Some years ago I interviewed several public speakers.  It wasn't a big
modeling project, just a tiny little one.  I wanted to know what certain
speakers who seemed exceptionally "cool, calm, and collected" were doing in
their minds and bodies to create that experience.  So I asked.  I asked if I
could interview them, and then using a combination of NLP and Neuro-Semantic
models, I questioned them until I obtained their strategies for maintaining
"presence of mind under pressure."  After I got three strategies, I then
went to the literature on stress and stress management, to the writings of
Hans Selye, the stress management expert and person who coined the term
eustress, and the literature on Assertiveness which is the Type-C
personality in contrast to Type-A and Type-B personalities when it comes to
stress.

 

Then, as with every modeling project that I've ever done, I applied the
learnings first to myself to see if it works on me.  That's my litmus test:
If I can't get a pattern, process, or model to work on myself, then there is
something lacking or wrong in the model that needs to be corrected or
supplemented.

 

The result of all of that?  The pattern that we have in Neuro-Semantics
which we call, Presence of Mind Under Pressure pattern.  This is a pattern
that we have made one of the staples in Trainer's Training and for good
reason -to be an effective trainer you have to be able to maintain presence
of mind under pressure.  If "pressure" arises due to who is there, the
numbers of people there, the demanding or challenging questions that arise,
the making of a mistake, etc. and you lose your cool, if you go into a
stress response, if blood is withdrawn from head and stomach and sent to the
larger muscle groups- then you will not be able to effectively remember or
present.  You will not be in your optimal "genius" state of flow.

 

Further, for many people, public speaking is in itself a pressure and one
that requires a lot of presence of mind.  So for trainers, presenters,
keynote speakers, etc., there will be times when various pressures will
arise and it is in those moments that you are put to the test.  Will you or
will you not remain "cool, calm, and collected?"  Or will you lose your
cool?  In fact, to test this very thing, in our Trainers' Training (NSTT) we
intentionally put participants in stressful contexts to see how they do and
what they need to maintain presence of mind under pressure. [If that sounds
like fun, then be sure to join us this year for NSTT in Hong Kong.  See the
notice at the end of this article.]

 

Presence of mind under pressure is a powerful state.  It is a state that
allows you to relax, to lighten up, and to enjoy an experience even when
there are lots of things that could be used to create a state of pressure.
And isn't that the best way to handle the pressures?  And besides what are
the "pressures" and how do they arise?  The pressures are mostly the
expectations and demands that a situation seems to produce but which are
really mental states of mind- frames.  They could be belief frames, identity
frames, expectation frames, etc.  So it is you yourself who creates (or
accepts) these internal "pressures" and so you are the one pressurizing
yourself with the demands:

           I must do well.  I must not make a mistake.  I must impress
people.

           I have to succeed and demonstrate my knowledge and skill.

           I cannot blow it.  I cannot show a fallibility or say, "I don't
know."

 

That's what and how most people approach public speaking.  And that is
precisely how experts in staying "cool, calm, and collected" do not think or
feel.  They do not put those kinds of pressures on themselves.  In fact,
their focus is entirely on the audience, not themselves.  They ae
un-self-conscious, not thinking about themselves (and so no
self-consciousness) and certainly no judgments about themselves and their
performance.

 

And if you can get them aside and get them to talk about what they actually
do think about these things, they say things like:

           I'll do the best I can, give the best I can and leave it at that
(an optimizing attitude).

           If I make a mistake, or say something wrong or awkwardly, or
blow it, I say so, use it as an example, show my vulnerability and move on.
No big deal.

           The training is not about me, it's about people getting what
they came for.

 

What a very different set of frames!  Trusting themselves through
preparation and practice, they also know that they will be their best when
they are real, authentic, human, and not putting on airs about being
something that they are not.  They are real, they are down-to-earth, and
this enables them to be able to improvise in the moment.   So they have
another attitude or frame of mind:

           Whatever happens, I will incorporate into the act and use it for
a learning.

           If adversity or crisis arise, this provides a wonderful
opportunity to show how these skills apply in the most challenging of times.

           I have hopes and wants, but no demands of myself or of the
presentation.

           It's just a presentation, not an evaluation of myself as a
person.

           The quality of my performance is always determined by my frames
and my choices, not by the conditions.

 

Presence of mind under pressure- interested?  Why not join us for Platform
Skills (the first 8 days of Trainers' Training) and learn the skills of
presenting and training as well as several patterns like this one.

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

                Neuro-Semantics Executive Director 

                Neuro-Semantics International

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

                1 970-523-7877 

                Dr. Hall's email:
<mailto:meta at acsol.net\hich\af31506\dbch\af31505\loch\f31506> meta at acsol.net


     

    

What is Neuro-Semantic NLP?

Neurons:  Get your free subscription to the weekly International \Post on
Neuro-Semantics by Dr. L. Michael Hall. Subscribe at:
wwww.neurosemantics.com 

 

Solutions:  Sign up for the Neuro-Semantic Newsletter ---
<http://newsletter.neurosemantics.com/hich/af31506/dbch/af31505/loch/f31506/
hich/af31506/dbch/af31505/loch/f31506> newsletter.neurosemantics.com.  This
is a monthly newsletter for anyone new to Neuro-Semantics.  Femke Stuut,
Editor.

 

Coaching: For world-class Coach Training - The Meta-Coaching System:
www.meta-coaching.org and \
<http://www.metacoachfo/hich/a/hich/af31506/dbch/af31505/loch/f31506%20f3150
6/dbch/af31505/loch/f31506%20undation.org/hich/af31506/dbch/af31505/loch/f31
506/hich/af31506/dbch/af31505/loch/f31506> www.metacoachfoundation.org.
Meta-Coach Reflections sent every Wednesday to the group of Licensed
Meta-Coaches.

 

Self-Actualization: Neuro-Semantics launched the New Human Potential
Movement in 2007, for information about this, see
<http://www.self-actualizing.org/> www.self-actualizing.org  

 

NSP --- Neuro-Semantic Publications: Order books from Neuro-Semantic
website,  <http://www.neurosemantics.com> www.neurosemantics.com  click on
Products and Services and then the Catalogue of books.  Order via paypal.  

 

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://eight.pairlist.net/pipermail/neurons/attachments/20130527/3c99c552/attachment.htm>